A rare interview! Zayn Malik opened up for a candid conversation about his daughter, Khai, and, of course, his One Direction days for the first time in “six years.”
Gushing over Khai, whom Zayn shares with ex-girlfriend Gigi Hadid, the singer revealed that the “main thing” in his life is “trying to be a good example to her,” while appearing on the Wednesday, July 12, interview of the “Call Her Daddy” podcast.
“That’s why I’m even doing this interview,” Zayn continued, in part. “I used to get a lot of anxiety around having a conversation like this and I want her to be able to look a me and be like, ‘Yo, my dad’s doing this.'”
Continuing to discuss dad life, the former One Direction member revealed that he’s a big “dad jokes” guy. “I’m leaning into it,” he added. “I’m a dad now, I’m allowed to tell these jokes. You have to give me a pass.”
He and Gigi, who were in an on-and-off relationship from 2015 to 2021, welcomed their daughter in September 2020. At the time, Zayn announced the exciting news on Instagram with a black-and-white photo of the newborn’s hand clutching his finger.
“To try put into words how I am feeling right now would be an impossible task,” the photo’s caption read. “The love I feel for this tiny human is beyond my understanding. Grateful to know her, proud to call her mine, and thankful for the life we will have together.”
While he’s kept his personal life out of the public eye since departing from One Direction in March 2015, Zayn has shared the rare glimpse into his life with Khai.
“I feel like you get to a certain point in adult life where everything’s kind of vague and gray and boring and she’s brought that color back, for sure,” the “Pillowtalk” singer said of his daughter during the “Call Her Daddy” episode.
In addition to his candid comments about fatherhood, the musician opened up about his X Factor days and the fame that followed after leaving the reality competition series alongside One Direction bandmates Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne.
“I feel like we were so overexposed in the band, that’s why I’ve took the time I have to not even necessarily do interviews,” Zayn explained, noting that he hoped listeners “get to know me a bit better” after listening to this particular chat.
Scroll through our gallery for all the biggest takeaways from Zayn’s “Call Her Daddy” interview.
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